Friday, 4 March 2016

I have to admit as a Bond
devotee and lover of anything remotely I Spy/Secret Agent (or spoof of the same
for that matter) - I was licking my chops in glee at this beautifully presented
Ace Records CD compilation (best Audio too). And while there's so much to enjoy
on here - I'd warn against over-excitement because in my view the replacement
of original themes with lesser-known versions has in some cases shot the MI5
Jetpack Agent in the head. Here are the 005½ details first...

The 24-page booklet is
beautifully laid out - crammed to periscope depth full of Spy Novels, Sixties
Paperbacks, Film Posters, label repros of original 45's from the UK and US
(even a Japanese issue of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.") and period
evocative Sheet Music. Inbetween all that visual richness is superlative and
informative liner notes by long-time archivist TONY ROUNCE who has for my money
written some of his best descriptions on records and their murky history here
(and that's saying something). The attention to detail is stunning. If you take
the artwork for the CD and look to the top left - they've changed GREAT PAN
from the paperback cover of Casino Royale into GREAT ACE as a very clever homage
to the iconic artwork of the Swinging Sixties (the paperback is featured in the
booklet). Every page is a feast. The rear is a full-colour plate of the "A
Man Alone" sheet music showing Michael Caine in Harry Saltzman's film
adaptation of Len Deighton's "The Ipcress File". The business as ever
from Ace...

We should talk about the
audio quality - this may indeed be the 'best' sounding Ace Records CD I've
heard in nearly 10 years of reviewing (the audio is off the charts good for
most tracks) and compiler Tony Rounce/Remaster Engineer NICK ROBBINS have made
some genius choices in the sequencing too. But as a downside it's worth
reiterating what I said earlier. When you go to the Bond Theme - it's not the
John Barry original but a crap take from Johnny & The Hurricanes - The Man
From U.N.C.L.E. theme isn't Hugo Montenegro but the lesser Challengers version
and Patrick McGoohan's Danger Man is by Red Price and not the Bob Leaper
version we all know and love. And the two Soul inclusions of Smokey Robinson &
The Miracles and The Supremes sound utterly ludicrous, forced and out of place
instead of being fun or even good (others may love them and want them for sheer
rarity value). Edwin Astley's "Danger Man" used in 47 episodes
between 1964 and 1968 isn't used - but as Rounce explains it wasn't available
for licensing. And I suspect that this may have been the case for many of the
bigger names and tunes.

Having said that goodies
include Bob Crane's slyly hip "Get Smart", Lalo Schifrin's cool
masterpiece "Mission: Impossible", Bacharach's gorgeous "The
Look Of Love" and the so Sixties opener "The Ipcress File" by
the incomparable John Barry - all fabulous. But I would have preferred anything
from "You Only Live Twice" rather than Nancy Sinatra's half-hearted
"The Last Of The Secret Agents". Better is "Secret Agent
Man" by Al Caiola (the American name for the "Danger Man" TV
Series) and Matt Monro's version "Wednesday's Child" from "The
Quiller Memorandum" (by John Barry) sounds unbelievably good too.
Unexpected gems include Sarah Vaughan's lyrically sassy version of the Henri
Mancini instrumental "Peter Gunn" theme and the witty "Modesty
Blaise" theme sung by Cleo Lane and Ray Ellington clearly enjoying their
inner secret agent. The Roland Shaw full-on Sixties Jazz and Strings version of
"I Spy" is a blast too.

What a ride! Upon my Blofeld
Dug Out Volcanic Lair but I'm looking forward to Volume 2. And should Ace
Records choose to accept their mission - for round two we'd like more John
Barry - say "Here Comes Nancy Now!" from "The Knack" or
"Little Nellie" from "You Only Live Twice", maybe
"Hawaii Five-O" by The Ventures, "Thinking Of Baby" by
Elmer Bernstein ("Staccato" US TV Theme) with "Search For
Vulcan" by Leroy Holmes (an instrumental Bond mimic) and of course Lalo
Schifrin's stunning "Bullitt" theme - to name but a few. I'm sure
they're working on their Aston Martin DB9 of a CD as we speak.

Did you know that Robert
Vaughn, David McCallum and Leo G. Carroll from the United Network Command for
Law Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.) had to weekly fight the diabolical forces of
Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of
Humanity (T.H.R.U.S.H.)? I can tell you now that James Bond's women had to
fight THRUSH on a daily basis too. But we won't go into that. See you next time
around 007...

This review is part of my SOUNDS GOOD Music Book Series. One of those titles is CLASSIC 1970s ROCK - an E-Book with over 260 entries and 2450 e-Pages - purchase on Amazon and search any artist or song (click the link below). Huge amounts of info taken directly from the discs (no cut and paste crap).

SOME OF MY E-BOOKS FOR SALE on AMAZON

About Me

To date I've over 3500 posts/reviews and 80+ Listmania Lists on Amazon UK - most are for quality music CD REMASTERS and FILMS on BLU RAY.

I'm a Top 15 Reviewer on Amazon UK and have been a 'Hall Of Fame' Reviewer for some years now...

They feature recommendations from years of trawling through digipaks and flicks. I tend to highlight reissues and remasters that have slipped through the net and movies on DVD and BLU RAY that deserve your attention/reappraisal.

My music reviews are in-depth - focusing on decent remasters - interesting imports - rarities - info that helps a purchase decision etc. And I often provide a Discography for Box Sets and multiples and detailed track lists for reissues.

Loved the awesome re-issues of Steve McQueen by PREFAB SPROUT and Strangers Almanac by WHISKEYTOWN [with Ryan Adams]. The three definitive Bear Family Series - Street Corner Symphonies (1934 to 1958 Vocal Groups), Blowing The Fuse (1945 to 1960 R'n'B - most reviewed) and Sweet Soul Music (1961 to 1975 - all 15 reviewed).

Check out the beautiful Scottish Folk of Black Water by KRIS DREVER (2006) and the Sahara rocking beat of TINARIWEN'S Aman Iman - Water Is Life. 2011 saw Jethro Tull's Aqualung receive a stunning makeover by Steve Wilson of Porcupine Tree and 2012 has Just As I Am by Bill Withers be given a top remaster by Big Break Records of the UK. Loving the 2013 Japanese SHM-CD reissues of J.J. Cale and the 2012 to 2015 Japan-Only Atlantic 1000: Best R&B Collection (see Joe Turner reviews). Small Faces Here Come The Nice and The Blue Nile's Hats & Peace At Last Deluxe Editions for 2014. Digging Edsel's 4CD Box Sets For The Beat and The Sound - superb. Edsel's Wilson Pickett and Percy Sledge CD Reissues from late 2016 are also superb.

Films - The Help, Lincoln, The Bands Visit, Man On A Ledge, The Grey, Mr. Nobody, Third Star, Caramel, Easy-A, Crash, United 93, The Insider, Death To Smoochy, Babel, Kinsey, Bright Star, Stranger Than Fiction, Imagine Me & You, The Namesake, After The Wedding, Seraphim Falls, Michael Clayton, Frankie Go Boom, Infamous, Gran Torino, The Blind Side, Invictus, Crazy Heart, Ondine, Amelie, Four Lions, Young Victoria, Untouchable, Jo Nesbo's Headhunters and The Secret In Their Eyes are what's most impressed in the last while. The Shawshank Redemption is for me the greatest film ever made, Cinema Paradiso the most beautiful and Nil By Mouth the most powerful.

I've also raved about gorgeous new restorations of The Italian Job, Goldfinger, African Queen, Back To The Future, O Brother Where Art Thou?, North By Northwest, To Catch A Thief, To Kill A Mockingbird and The Sting on Blu Ray - can't recommend these enough.

I'm Irish (originally from Dublin) and married with 3 grown-up kids - one of which has autism (The Beautiful Dean).

I was a vinyl rarities buyer and put-upon expert in Reckless Records (Soho, London) for over 20 years and have contributed to many of the Record Collector Rare Record Price Guides.

Currently freelance writer/reviewer. Have written four screenplays - "The Cloths Of Heaven", "Silas", "An English Lady - The Eglantyne Jebb Story" and "Full Of Grace" which I'll discuss with Film Industry Insiders.